Sir Handel
Sir Handel, named after the Skarloey Railway's first owner, Sir Handel Brown I - but previously known as Falcon, after the works where he was built - is a narrow-gauge tank engine. Bio In the Railway Series Falcon was built at Falcon Works in Loughborough, England for the Mid Sodor Railway as an 0-4-0ST, causing him to bounce until he was rebuilt with a rear pony truck at Loughborough in 1910. When the Mid Sodor Railway closed in 1947, he and Stuart were sold to the Sodor Aluminium Company at Peel Godred for an expansion project. They worked there until 1951, at which time both engines were sheeted at the projects close for almost a year. They were then purchased for a total of fifty pounds by the Skarloey Railway in 1952 and renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively. Sir Handel didn't cope well with the worn track on the railway and would often derail - sometimes deliberately. He was given a pair of special wheels with broad tyres to cure this problem, dubbed "steamroller wheels" by the other engines. In 1982, Sir Handel visited the Talyllyn Railway to help while Talyllyn was being mended. Sir Handel had plenty of adventures there, like pulling a wedding train and having to wear an eye-patch after colliding with a tree at Nant Gwernol. When Peter Sam was brought back from the Talyllyn Railway early during a visit in 1995 Sir Handel became jealous and, as a protest, deliberately knocked out his firebars. He was sent to the shed and began to fear that he would never come out after weeks went by and no one came to see him. When The Thin Controller came in one day Sir Handel confessed and asked for a second chance. Sir Handel got his firebars later that day - no one bothered to tell him that they had only just arrived. In the television series Falcon and Stuart lived with Duke until their line was closed and they were bought by the Skarloey Railway and were renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively. Upon arriving, Sir Handel had many adventures. He was derailed by his own coaches when he stopped too quickly in front of some sheep. Sir Handel was also very pompous and refused to do his job well, so he was sent to the sheds for a while to repent. After coming back out, he got into a fight with George the steamroller, which ended in a race with George smashing Sir Handel's trucks. Once George had left, Sir Handel became even more conceited then ever and believed that he had made George go away. Sir Handel didn't reappear until years later, apparently because he was working in the stone quarry. When he returned, he had a much different attitude. He did his jobs without complaining, and had trouble getting up hills. He is also wiser in most situations, but in some cases he is still pompous. He is generally of the opinion that he knows best and should be in charge. This can sometimes lead him into trouble with the other engines and the trucks. However, he always gets the job done. According to Mr. Perkins, Sir Handel can be cheeky sometimes. He currently works on the Skarloey Railway, and at the Blue Mountain Quarry, with Skarloey, Rheneas, Peter Sam, Rusty, Duncan, and Luke. Persona Sir Handel, named Falcon in his younger days, was brought up under the supervising of Duke, yet is typical to be moody and had stubborn tantrums. He has a tendency of considering himself superior to others and getting much to big for his wheels. When he returned in the tenth season however, Sir Handel had been portrayed as a steady, thoughtful engine who is ready to offer advice. He is ready to be put in charge and keep other engines in order, but ironically regained his original personality whenever this chance occured. Like anyone else, Sir Handel enjoys being helpful and reliable. Basis Sir Handel is based on the Talyllyn Railway's Sir Haydn, a Hughes Falcon 0-4-2ST. Albert and Proteus share the same basis. Livery In the Railway Series, Sir Handel was painted dark blue until coming to work on the Skarloey Railway, where he was painted in the Skarloey Railway's red livery and blue-and-yellow lining. In the television series, he is painted dark blue with red and yellow lining. In The Thomas Way DVD, the Mr. Perkins segment features a re-illustrated version of Trucks!. In this, Sir Handel is painted dark blue, like in the television series. Trivia *In the Railway Series, Sir Handel along with Peter Sam did not have buffers when they first arrived on the Skarloey Railway until The Little Old Engine. *Sir Handel's Brio model incorrectly depicts him as an 0-4-0. *In various merchandise and books, Sir Handel's name is often misspelt as "Sir Handle". *During production on the fourth season, Sir Handel had Rheneas' face and vice-versa. *Sir Handel's television series model is currently on display in the Hara Model Museum in Japan. *Until New Little Engine, his last appearance in the Railway Series, Sir Handel seemed to never have a coal bunker. *The Reverend W. Awdry's model of Falcon was at the Reverend Teddy Boston's Cadeby Light Railway, before the railway finally closed in 2005. *Sir Handel's large scale model used in the tenth season lacked a whistle, yet he was still heard whistling on many occasions. This was fixed when he returned in the sixteenth season. *Sir Handel is named after the original owner of the Skarloey Railway. *During the fourth season, Sir Handel had quite a few derailments in some episodes. This may have been inspired by a similar accident which occurred to his basis Sir Haydn on the Talyllyn Railway. *Sir Handel has been through many changes through the series. These include: **Season 10: ***No visible whistle. ***Darker blue livery. ***Black trailing wheels and buffers. **Season 16: ***Grey buffers and trailing wheels. ***Visible whistle. ***Handrails across his saddle tank like his basis. ***His cutout windows gained brass frames and contained glass. ***Sanding gear. ***More rivets on his bufferbeam and cab. ***Black siderod guards. ***His blue livery became a more vibrant shade than it was in the tenth season. **Season 18: ***Lamp and lamp irons, as requested by Sam Wilkinson. Gallery Granpuff13.png|Falcon Bulldog(TAFepisode)24.png|Falcon derailed FourLittleEngines6.png|Sir Handel in the fourth season FourLittleEngines32.png|Sir Handel and some sheep ABadDayForSirHandel14.png ABadDayForSirHandel31.png ABadDayForSirHandel41.png PeterSamandtheRefreshmentLady9.png SpecialFunnel10.png SpecialFunnel61.png SteamRoller13.png|Sir Handel's wheels SteamRoller24.png ThomasandtheBigBang31.png TheManintheHills12.png|Sir Handel with a CGI face BlueMountainMystery153.png Don'tBotherVictor!38.png Don'tBotherVictor!16.png Merchandise Gallery ReintroducedWoodenRailwaySirHandel.png|Reintroduced 2008 Wooden Railway SirHandelTradingCard.png|Trading Card Category:Skarloey Railway Category:Thomas and Friends steam locomotives Category:Thomas and Friends characters Category:Characters Category:Films, TV Shows And Wildlife Wiki